One Plus One Review

Review of One Plus One powered by the Slant community.

Starts at $249 off-contract.

Pros

Pro

Solid build quality

OPO has a matte plastic shell that doesn't feel cheap, a good IPS screen and speakers with reasonable sound quality. It's somewhat large at 152.9 × 75.9 × 8.9 millimeters, while still being comparatively light at 162 grams.

Pro

Excellent battery life

OPO has a 3100 mAh battery that according to Phonearena would drain in about 8 hours of typical use.

Pro

Sharp 5.5" 1080p display

OPO has a bright, sharp 5.5" 1920x1080 IPS display with 401ppi that accurately reproduces colors and has good viewing angles.

Pro

Provides the option of using either hardware or software keys

The OPO has hardware keys that can be disabled in favor of customizable software keys.

Pro

Great performance

The phone has a Snapdragon 801 CPU with 3 GB RAM capable of outperforming most other flagship phones.

Pro

CyanogenMod OS adds extra functionality over Android

CyanogenMod is an open source operating system based on Android. It adds additional features and options, such as native theming support, FLAC audio codec support, an OpenVPN client, as well as multiple interface enhancements while keeping Android's design language.

OnePlus One is the first smartphone that comes with CyanogenMod preinstalled.

Pro

Uses both GPS and GLONASS satellites for positioning

OPO takes advantage of both GPS and GLONASS satellite navigation systems allowing the location information to be more accurate, work in more places and be provided quicker compared to when using a single satellite navigation system.

Pro

Reasonably good 13MP camera capable of 2160p30 video

While slightly behind other flagship phones, OPO's camera takes good pictures and is capable of capturing 2160p30 and 1080p60 video. Images are sharp with fairly accurate colors and can even take HDR photos.

Cons

Con

Only a 64GB model is available

While a 16GB version was previously offered alongside the 64GB version, it is not for sale anymore. Whether a 16GB will return is unknown.

Con

Questionable promotional tactics

In addition to most campaigns requiring participants to promote the phone over social media, the company also created a campaign that resulted in multiple people smashing their phones for no reason and a campaign that's accused of uneloquently giving preference to attractive women.

Con

Has no microSD slot

With no external storage the device is limited to what is installed by default, either 16GB or 64GB (depending on the model).

Con

Non-removable battery

Once the battery is unable to hold a charge the whole device will be SOL.

Con

Smartphones purchased in India won't get CyanogenMod OTA update

Due to a falling out with the carrier in India, the OnePlus One will not receive any over the air updates from CyanogenMod. This will allow for vulnerabilities in the OS in the long run.